04-11-2013-(LANG Staff Photo by Sean Hiller)- Los Alamitos native and Huntington Beach resident Chris Kluwe, a punter with the Minnesota Vikings, is an avid supporter of equality for gay and lesbians. Although he is heterosexual, he is one of the NFL's most spoken advocates for equality. ¬

FILE - In this May 1, 2013, file photo, Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe lifts a weight during conditioning workouts for the NFL football team in Eden Prairie, Minn. Kluwe, who is no longer with the Vikings, says the team's special teams coordinator, Mike Priefer, made anti-gay comments while Kluwe was with the team. The Vikings issued a statement saying they take the allegations seriously. They also say he was released because of his football performance, not something else. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Former Minnesota Vikings punter and Los Alamitos standout Chris Kluwe put the National Football League in a stir with a self-written article calling out two of his former Vikings coaches and his general manager for their apparent disapproval of his activism for gay rights.

The article, published Thursday by Deadspin, was titled “I Was An NFL Player Until I Was Fired By Two Cowards and A Bigot.”

“These are all things that I experienced and things I went through,” said Kluwe in phone interview Friday. “And I felt that they had to be told.”

The article, viewed more than 3 million times in the first 24 hours, outlines Kluwe’s 2012-13 season with the Vikings and addresses instances of discouragement for speaking his mind on gay rights from former head coach Leslie Frazier, who was fired Monday, and GM Rick Spielman, calling them “cowards.” The article’s most controversial comments refer to special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer, called a “bigot” in the story, and his treatment of Kluwe and the use of homophobic language in his presence, including one specific moment during a meeting.

“As we sat down in our chairs, Mike Priefer, in one of the meanest voices I can ever recall hearing, said: ‘We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows,’” wrote Kluwe. Priefer denied the allegations in a statement Thursday.

“I want to be clear that I do not tolerate discrimination of any type and am respectful of all individuals,” Priefer said. “I personally have gay family members who I love and support just as I do any family member.” On Friday the Vikings announced they would be investigating the allegations on the heels of a statement of their own, also released Thursday.

“Any notion that Chris was released from our football team due to his stance on marriage equality is entirely inaccurate and inconsistent with team policy,” said the Vikings in the statement. “Chris was released strictly based on his football performance.”

In 2012, Kluwe, who was cut by the Raiders in the preseason, averaged 45 yards per punt (24th in the NFL that season), with a 39.7 net average. His career averages are 44.4 yards per punt and a 37.3 net average.

Despite playing the low-profile position of a punter, Kluwe is well-known for his support of gay rights, appearing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and the documentary “The Last Barrier” discussing equality. He also wrote another article for Deadspin back in 2012, a letter to Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. in response to Burns’ disapproval of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo publicly backing a ballot initiative to allow same-sex marriage in Maryland.

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Former coaches of Kluwe were not taken aback by Kluwe’s article, seeing it as nothing out of the ordinary.

“It didn’t surprise me,” said Jim Van Gorder, the kicking and punting coach during Kluwe’s time at Los Alamitos. “Chris has always been a free spirit ... he was always his own man.”

“My first reaction was, ‘There goes Chris speaking his mind,’” said Steve Scully, a former defensive backs coach for the Griffins.

Long-tenured Griffins head coach John Barnes did not read the controversial article.

“He was a good kid in high school, and I appreciate everything he did for us,” Barnes said.

Van Gorder, who lives roughly a mile from Kluwe in Huntington Beach, said he’d always known Kluwe was outspoken, but that he was introverted in high school and very fond of reading.

“He’d read a novel a week,” said Van Gorder.

“It was quicker than that,” said Kluwe with a laugh. “Maybe a novel a day.”

Kluwe said the majority of responses he has received have been overwhelmingly positive, including those from the Los Alamitos community. But the Huntington Beach resident has not been contacted by any former Vikings teammates, nor does he expect to be.

“I would honestly be surprised if they did,” Kluwe said. “I wouldn’t expect any current players to reach out to me. It might harm their careers.” He also has not been contacted by anyone from the Vikings organization.

Kluwe said he was pretty sure his story would create a “firestorm” but that the story carried too much importance and needed to be shared.

“This is something that happens to millions of people all over the world. It happens in high school locker rooms, in college locker rooms, and in the professional locker rooms,” Kluwe said. “We need to ask ourselves if that is the type of world or civilization that we want to leave our children.”